Chromium compound found in air samples in the City of Newport Beach

(Santa Ana) – Information from ambient air monitoring provided by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) to the County Health Officer on February 28, 2014, indicates that Hixson Metal Finishing, located at 817-853 Production Place in the City of Newport Beach, has emitted elevated levels of the toxic air contaminant hexavalent chromium.

The Health Care Agency has reviewed response activities and has evaluated the information provided by SCAQMD, and determined that the release meets the requirements of public notification pursuant to California Health and Safety Code section 25180.7(d), as part of the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, or Proposition 65. The intent of Proposition 65 is to protect the public and its drinking water resources, and requires the County Health Officer to inform the public about potential exposures to chemicals that are reported by various state and local agencies.

SCAQMD is the lead agency and is responsible for enforcement of air pollution rules and regulations at some 27,000 facilities across the Southland. At this specific location, SCAQMD has been carrying out an intensive air monitoring program to investigate the source of chromium emissions. Hixson has previously put measures in place to reduce its emissions and SCAQMD is now working with the facility to implement additional corrective actions.

This facility is also currently working with the Department of Toxics Substances Control (DTSC), as the lead agency for addressing soil contaminated with chlorinated solvents and chromium from previous metal finishing and plating operations.

Hexavalent chromium is a toxic form of the element chromium. Hexavalent chromium compounds are man-made and are used in many different industries. While there may be some risk associated with exposure to this substance, health effects are not normally experienced immediately, and risk analyses for chemicals like hexavalent chromium typically assume a 40- to 70-year exposure in the calculation of cancer risk to nearby residents.

For more specific details and information about this release and ongoing efforts to reduce emissions at Hixson, please contact Sam Atwood, SCAQMD Media Relations Manager at (909) 396-3456 or email him at satwood@aqmd.gov. For information on the Department of Toxic Substances Control oversight of the contaminated soil clean-up, please contact Irena Edwards, DTSC Project Manager, at (714) 484-5385 or email her at irena.edwards@dtsc.ca.gov.